


In Which Souji is a Cat

by scatter



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Catboys & Catgirls, Community: badbadbathhouse, Humor, M/M, Subtext
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-28
Updated: 2011-04-28
Packaged: 2017-10-18 18:40:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/192009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scatter/pseuds/scatter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Souji's going through a transformation and Yosuke isn't entirely sure how to react.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Which Souji is a Cat

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt at the Persona 4 Kink Meme: _Souji ends up taking on cat like features, somehow. Maybe they run across kitty shadows in the dungeon and he has an overwhelming urge to pet them; maybe one of those mangy strays he feeds is actually a werekitty and bites his finger; maybe he's ALWAYS been part feline, but it's only just started to come out now that he's nearly an adult. Anon can have him turning completely into a cat or just sport the standard ears and tail or anything in between!_
> 
> _Whatever happens, I want Yosuke to realize what's going on and find himself in a position of helping out his best friend...who suddenly likes to purr and sunbathe and rub up against him._
> 
> _And damnit, he hates cats._

The first sign isn't really a sign at all; it's easy enough to pass of as Souji just being weird. They're sitting in his room studying – trying to study; Yosuke's mind keeps wandering to the TV and the nice weather and all the things he could be doing besides this, and even Souji is only half-interested – when Souji leans against him. He doesn't think anything of it, just shifts so that it doesn't leave him in an awkward position.

And then Souji kind of…rubs against him. It's not even a quick gesture. He rolls his shoulders and presses his cheek against Yosuke's and makes this low, pleased noise that sounds entirely too content.

Unsurprisingly, Yosuke has no idea what to do about this. "You, uh… What the hell was that, partner?"

"What was what?" Souji's still leaning against him, more casually. He picks up a pencil but instead of starting to take notes he tries to balance it point up on one finger.

"That thing you just did."

"Oh, that? Nothing."

Souji's so blasé about it that Yosuke eventually gives up trying to get an explanation out of him. Souji doesn't do it again that day and Yosuke decides to just take it in stride as another thing that's unique to his friend.

The second sign is, once again, something that can easily be passed off. He comes over one afternoon when the weather is nice, and Nanako opens the door. She lets him in but motions for him to be quiet.

"Big Bro is sleeping," she says and gestures to the living room floor, where Souji is sprawled out in a puddle of sunlight, napping.

Yosuke leans over him with a grin, amused at seeing his leader so relaxed and unguarded. When a cloud passes over the sun briefly, Souji wrinkles his nose until it goes away. "Can't say I saw him as the type of guy who'd do this."

"It's because he's changing," Nanako says and looks at Souji expectantly.

The excitement in her voice catches Yosuke's attention more than the odd statement. "Changing?"

Before she can answer, Souji says, "Nanako," in a lightly scolding tone and cracks open an eye.

Nanako slaps her hands over her mouth. "Sorry!"

"It's fine." Souji stretches so enthusiastically that Yosuke hears a crack and feels like mirroring the action himself. He curls up again, apparently in no hurry to move, and Yosuke smiles at the lazy expression on his face.

"You look comfortable."

"I am. Want to lay down with me?"

"I do!" Nanako crawls next to him and Souji scoots over to make room. They both look at him hopefully and, really, Yosuke has no choice but to shrug off his jacket and join them. He grumbles when he takes a place next to Souji's back, but it's nice in the sunlight and even when Souji butts up against him and makes that low noise again it's not bad. It reminds him of something but he can't figure out what, not half-asleep as he is, and he's stopped caring by the time he nods off.

A few days later, he finds Nanako in the Junes pet section buying a water bowl.

"It's for Big Bro," she says, looking seriously between the choices.

"For those cats he feeds at all the time? Has one finally followed him home?"

Nanako gives him a look that's much too old for her, like he's missing something obvious and she feels it'd be insulting to explain it to him. "No," she says slowly, "it's for Big Bro."

That should have been enough to clue him in, maybe, but the idea of Souji receiving a water bowl is so amusing that the implications fly right over Yosuke's head. It takes him a while to stop chuckling and he gleefully helps her pick her purchase, going with something orange when she refuses anything wilder. When she says she's going to get his name put on it, it's all he can do to keep from laughing.

"What did you think of Nanako's gift?" he asks Souji the next day.

"It was very thoughtful of her." Souji's scratching the top of his head, something he's been doing all day. "I like it a lot."

"What, seriously?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Yosuke's disappointed. He was looking forward to seeing Souji's reaction in hopes that it would be a little more dramatic. He grabs Souji's hand and pulls it down. "Hey, stop that, will you? It looks like you're dirty or something."

"Sorry, it itches." Souji scratches near his tailbone. Then he says, "I'll be glad when this is done," but Yosuke doesn't notice because Chie's coming over and he just remembered he forgot to bring the video he was supposed to return to her. He's more interested in saving his skin than trying to figure out any odd statements that Souji makes. Plus, he says them all the time; Yosuke's pretty used to not understanding what he's talking about.

What he's not used to is Souji destroying his furniture.

Yosuke knows his parents need to buy a new couch. He's been telling them that for months and kicking it when he walks by in hopes that maybe one of the legs will give out, but he's never gone so far as trying to unravel the fabric.

Once Souji finds a loose thread, however, he seems determined to do just that. Yosuke barely notices at first. He's brought the game system downstairs to use the big screen in the living room and Souji's subtle about it, merely running his nails along the arm of the couch. When he comes to a lull in the game, though, and turns to get Souji's opinion on what he should do next, he finds him hunched over and pulling at the thread determinedly.

"Yo, what are you doing?" Yosuke's not sure how Souji's managing it but the string hasn't broken or caught on something yet and it's getting longer and longer. He catches his wrist and forces him to stop.

"It's distracting," Souji says and reaches for it with his free hand.

Yosuke catches that too. "You keep that up and I'm going to get in trouble. Sit at the other end if it bothers you that much."

Souji does, unwillingly, and returns to watching Yosuke play. Before long, however, his attention is caught by a fly near the window. Watching him track it with wide eyes, Yosuke gives up on getting his opinion and makes a decision that promptly gets his character killed. Souji apologizes and does that full body rub thing again, adding a little sympathetic noise that Yosuke doesn't think he'd been able to mimic.

Yosuke realizes what he's reminded of then: a cat, and he's slightly annoyed, both at dying and equating an animal he doesn't like with his best friend.

It's fitting, though, because a few days later Souji is actually a fucking cat. Okay, more like half a cat, but still – a _cat_.

What happens is that Souji misses a few days of school. Dojima says he's sick and looks frazzled. Nanako repeats it but she looks much too excited about it and Dojima hushes her when she starts to say more. She does let it slip that he's been using the bowl lately and maybe that should have tipped Yosuke off but the idea is so ridiculous it doesn't cross his mind.

He comes by the house everyday to see Souji but is turned away without being able to go upstairs. Yosuke wonders how sick he is but Souji assures him via text that it's nothing to worry about and finally Nanako invites him inside.

"Hey, partner, what—" Yosuke stops and stares. Souji's sitting on the couch, watching television, with a pair of gray ears on his head and a tail coming from his ass and he's _totally a fucking cat_. Yosuke forgets himself enough to blurt out, "What the hell?!"

Souji gives him a pointed look and he manages a halting apology to Nanako, who doesn't appear disturbed in the least. "Sorry about not letting you in earlier," he says, "but I wasn't feeling well. I'm better now."

"You're a cat," Yosuke points out because it's a big deal.

"Oh," Souji says like it's not. "Yeah."

What gets Yosuke most, besides the fact that Souji didn't tell him – "Would you have believed me?" Point taken – is that no one else thinks it's weird. Chie takes one look at him when he comes back to school and asks, "Did one of those stray cats bite you?" Kanji wants to scratch him behind his ears, Rise coos and asks him to purr, and there are various other reactions of acceptance between Naoto, Teddie, and Yukiko, and Yosuke is the only one sitting there thinking it's strange that Souji's tail is brushing against him at lunch.

All those little things Souji's been doing add up now because Souji starts doing them more often. He finds him napping or laid out in the sun more often; if they're trying to study then, it's over the moment Souji stretches and gets comfortable. His rubs against Yosuke leave gray hairs on his clothing and once, when he's particularly into it and purring up a storm – that's what those noises have been, purrs, and Souji's really good at them – he actually licks Yosuke with a tongue like sandpaper. Yosuke freaks out, of course, more over the fact that Souji's tongue is rough as shit than the fact that he's licking him, and tugs on his tail in retaliation. Except, his hand lands near the base and it must feel really good because Souji goes red and makes, well, a really crazy cat noise while leaning into the touch.

Yosuke pulls his hand away like he's been burned and Souji nips at his neck in annoyance. It hurts some; Souji's teeth have gotten sharp as hell and he's into the habit now of using them lightly.

Souji doesn't use the bowl Nanako got for him all the time, just occasionally because it makes her happy and he doesn't mind. Usually he'll raise it up and drink from it like he might slurp milk after eating cereal but when he's feeling playful he'll lean down and lap the liquid up. The first time Yosuke saw this, he wasn't sure how to react.

"Thirsty much?" he asks as Souji's face disappears into the bowl.

"Very." Souji sits back up and cleans himself, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand and licking his mouth. Yosuke's not used to seeing him lick himself either but he's gotten fussy about it, scowling at any trace of dirt on him. Yosuke's taken to carrying around wet napkins so he can prevent Souji from licking up something that shouldn't be eaten.

After the initial shock and disappointment fade – couldn't Souji have been part wolf or something cool? – Yosuke resolves to show that he still supports his friend. He thinks he's been doing a piss poor job of it despite not saying anything to Souji because he can never quite manage to hide how odd he thinks the whole thing is. Chie's sick of his complaining – but Souji sheds all over him and wants to crawl onto his lap at the most inconvenient of times – and Rise's more than hinting that if he doesn't enjoy Souji's company anymore then she's more than happy to take his place.

He makes sure no one else is around when he gives Souji the gift he's gotten him and turns away when he starts to open it. "It's, uh, sorry, don't take it the wrong way, but I thought you might like it…"

Souji removes the collar and tag and turns them over carefully, examining the small, embossed piece of metal with his information on it.

"It's for…you know, in case you get lost or something." Yosuke immediately decides this was a stupid idea. Souji's still a person, not a pet, after all, and even if he did need one of these shouldn't it come from Dojima or something?

Souji hands it back to him and stretches out his neck. "Put it on for me?"

Yosuke does, blushing all the while, and it doesn't help when Souji purrs low in his throat and rubs against him.

"Does this mean you're okay with cats now?"

"Fuck no, but you're alright." Souji smiles and licks his nose. Yosuke pushes him away and Souji catches himself expertly when he tumbles off his lap. "Ugh, dude, it's like sandpaper!"

When the rest of the team sees Souji's collar, they all decide they each need to get him one. Souji wears them all more than once, even the one with the annoying bell, but he wears Yosuke's the most. Yosuke doesn't notice except that he always does and he's stupidly happy about it.

He still doesn't like cats and coming over to the Dojima household is getting to be a hassle given the way they're all loitering around it nowadays, but Souji's his best friend first and a cat second so he doesn't consider for a moment changing their relationship. Plus, he can't deny that it's kind of nice to have Souji lean against him and just purr contently.

But still – like sandpaper, man. He's never going to get used to that.


End file.
